Various types of emergency lighting systems are known in the prior art. Such systems are, invariably, mandated by governmental codes, and such codes define requirements with which the emergency lighting systems must comply.
The majority of these systems utilize battery-powered light fixtures. Such fixtures generally include a wall-mounted light attached to a battery pack.
One problem with these wall-mounted fixtures is their vulnerability to vandalism. Because of their general exposure, such fixtures are vulnerable to breakage of, or tampering with, the light itself, with possible resultant battery pack disconnecting or draining of the stored power. The result of either would be an unanticipated absence of emergency lighting during an outage of normal power.
In an attempt to offset the vulnerability to vandalism, some prior art emergency lighting systems utilize heavy plastic material to protect the lamp. Additionally, one such prior art system, that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,749 (Ballogh), employs a magnetically operated test switch device in order to protectably seal off the battery and its connection.
Other prior art structures utilize light fixtures that are mounted on existing light fixtures. Some include means for concealed attachment to an existing light fixture (for example, attachment to a fluorescent light fixture).
These prior art structures employ circuitry for implementing battery power when the primary lighting system (that is, the system normally employed to illuminate a room) powered by normal electric current fails. Some prior art structures convert the direct current of a battery into an alternating current for use by conventional lamps. While these features reduce their vulnerability to vandalism, they do, however, increase the complexity of the structures and, therefore, increase their potential for malfunctioning.
Additionally, the appearance of many light and battery pack devices as know in the prior art is not aesthetically pleasing. When thousands of dollars have been spent to establish a pleasing decor in an office, lobby, etc., the appearance of such a battery pack can be glaringly out of place.
Finally, devices known in the art tend to inadequately illuminate when activated. This is so, since their lamps are, typically, uni-directional and throw light only along an axis close to, and generally parallel to, the wall to which the device is mounted. Additionally, as previously indicated, some in-place systems employ lamps of the primary lighting system as emergency lighting. Only a portion of the total lamps in the primary system are, however, utilized when emergency lighting becomes necessary. This is so for a number of reasons. The end result with such systems is that lighting distribution is reduced, and the uniformity of distribution is destroyed.
It is to these problems of the prior art that the invention of the present application is directed. It is an aesthetically-pleasing, easy-to-install, vandal-resistant emergency lighting system utilizing a light fixture and battery pack assembly in combination with unique storage, actuation, and energization means.